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Germany Reportedly Seeks Refund for Toll Delays

The Financial Times Deutschland has reported in their Thursday edition that the German government is seeking compensation for delays in the implementation of a new road toll collection system. The newspaper reports that German Transportation Minister Manfred Stolpe considers Toll Collect, the consortium in charge of the project, liable for damages for the monthly revenue shortages due to the start delays. The government loses some €156 million ($182 million) in revenue for every month that the system is not in operation. The contract with Toll Collect stipulates that if the toll collection system for heavy commercial trucks is not in operation within three months of the original planned start date of August 31, the government is entitled to monthly damages of €7.5 million. After seven months, that amount goes up to €15 million. The federal government will not confirm the newspaper report. "We won't take part in any kind of speculation," a spokesman said.